Fractures of arms and legs require appropriate splinting. Generally, splints should be applied at the scene of injury before the patient is moved. Preferably, a slow steady pull is applied to the injured limb to relax the muscles and reduce the chance of injury to adjacent soft tissue. A steady pull along the longitudinal axis of the injured limb brings the fragment which can be controlled into alignment with the fragment which cannot. With the splint properly positioned and the application of tension to the limb, injury caused by subsequent movement of the patient can be minimized.
Prior art splints generally have a take up reel or the like for applying a pulling force, or traction, to the injured limb of a patient. Prior U.S. patents pertaining to traction splints include: U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,794 to Holmes; U.S. Pat. No. 3,477,428 to Hare; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,419,002 to Santosus. The traction splints disclosed in each of these patents include a pair of side members, a padded cross member connected to first ends of the side members and adapted to abut an upper portion of the leg of the patient, and a traction mechanism connected to second ends of the side members. The traction mechanism is adapted of attachment to the ankle of the patent and pulls on the ankle such that traction is applied to the leg between the cross member and the ankle of the patient. It is believed that one disadvantage of such prior art traction splints is that the side members are not independently extensible and, therefore, one of the side members cannot be extended a greater distance than the other side member to angularly displace the cross member with respect to the side members. Accordingly, the cross member must be positioned below the groin of the patient. If a fracture of the femur occurs near the hip of the patient, positioning the cross bar below the groin of the patient may not provide the needed support for the fracture. It is believed another disadvantage of the prior art traction splints is the discomfort and circulation blockage caused by the cross members. Each of the traction splints in the noted patents disclose cross members formed from a circular pipe or tube and covered by a circular pad. The cross members may be arcuate to accommodate the shape of the patient's leg. However, since a circular tube is used, a relatively small portion of the cross member will actually abut a portion of the patient's extremity. I is believed that since the forces from the cross member must be supported by this small portion of the patient, circulation in the affected extremity will be restricted and the patient will experience discomfort.